When Compassion, humility and moderation are forgotten
Saturday, 17. January 2009, 12:34:04
This post is not intended to take a political stance merely a dao cultivation and humanitarian one.
Chapter 67
Everyone in the world calls my Tao great
As if it is beyond compare
It is only because of its greatness
That it seems beyond compare
If it can be compared
It would already be insignificant long ago!
I have three treasures
I hold on to them and protect them
The first is called compassion
The second is called conservation
The third is called not daring to be ahead in the world
Compassionate, thus able to have courage
Conserving, thus able to reach widely
Not daring to be ahead in the world
Thus able to assume leadership
Now if one has courage but discards compassion
Reaches widely but discards conservation
Goes ahead but discards being behind
Then death!
If one fights with compassion, then victory
With defense, then security
Heaven shall save them
And with compassion guard them
It seems that the art of fighting with compassion has long since been lost -- not only do we see various 'freedom fighters/insurgents/terrorists' attacking civilians but now we see a nation state putting their destriction to shame by actually herding civilians into homes and city centres 'for their own safety' and then according to reports given to human rights watch shelling said homes and city centre(s). Then we see southern israel gettign hammered with thankfully inaccurate rockets and thankfully face a much lower injury and death toll than the civilians in gaza whose child death toll is not over 320 and counting.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/01/16/israel-stop-shelling-crowded-gaza-city
The death toll from yesterday's military operations remains unknown, but media reports quoted Gaza health officials as saying that 70 people had died (the reports make no distinction between civilian and combatant casualties). As of January 14, 1,013 Palestinians had died, including 322 children and 76 women, according to the Gazan Ministry of Health. An additional 4,560 Palestinians reportedly have been wounded, including 1,600 children and 678 women.
The attacks on Gaza City occurred after the Israel Defense Force (IDF) had warned Gaza's residents to flee to city centers. According to the Israeli government, on January 3, the IDF began broadcasting warnings that told people, among other things, that "For your own safety, you are required to leave your homes immediately and move to the city centers." Despite these warnings, the IDF has launched attacks against the Gaza city center, causing civilian casualties.
"Israel warned civilians to go to city centers and later shelled the center of Gaza City with a weapon that should never be used in densely populated areas," Garlasco said.
When will we realise that Ghandi was right - "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind" -- it is true that in daoism and dao cultivation self defense is not frowned upon, but i can't help but feel that the way we are going there will be so much self defense going on that the cycles of hatred, anger and killing of innocents has no hope of ending.
I have no answers but i hope we can all feel empathy for ALL the victims of these conflicts.
Chapter 43
The softest things of the world
Override the hardest things of the world
That which has no substance
Enters into that which has no openings
From this I know the benefits of unattached actions
The teaching without words
The benefits of actions without attachment
Are rarely matched in the world
peace to you
beccaxx
Chapter 67
Everyone in the world calls my Tao great
As if it is beyond compare
It is only because of its greatness
That it seems beyond compare
If it can be compared
It would already be insignificant long ago!
I have three treasures
I hold on to them and protect them
The first is called compassion
The second is called conservation
The third is called not daring to be ahead in the world
Compassionate, thus able to have courage
Conserving, thus able to reach widely
Not daring to be ahead in the world
Thus able to assume leadership
Now if one has courage but discards compassion
Reaches widely but discards conservation
Goes ahead but discards being behind
Then death!
If one fights with compassion, then victory
With defense, then security
Heaven shall save them
And with compassion guard them
It seems that the art of fighting with compassion has long since been lost -- not only do we see various 'freedom fighters/insurgents/terrorists' attacking civilians but now we see a nation state putting their destriction to shame by actually herding civilians into homes and city centres 'for their own safety' and then according to reports given to human rights watch shelling said homes and city centre(s). Then we see southern israel gettign hammered with thankfully inaccurate rockets and thankfully face a much lower injury and death toll than the civilians in gaza whose child death toll is not over 320 and counting.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/01/16/israel-stop-shelling-crowded-gaza-city
The death toll from yesterday's military operations remains unknown, but media reports quoted Gaza health officials as saying that 70 people had died (the reports make no distinction between civilian and combatant casualties). As of January 14, 1,013 Palestinians had died, including 322 children and 76 women, according to the Gazan Ministry of Health. An additional 4,560 Palestinians reportedly have been wounded, including 1,600 children and 678 women.
The attacks on Gaza City occurred after the Israel Defense Force (IDF) had warned Gaza's residents to flee to city centers. According to the Israeli government, on January 3, the IDF began broadcasting warnings that told people, among other things, that "For your own safety, you are required to leave your homes immediately and move to the city centers." Despite these warnings, the IDF has launched attacks against the Gaza city center, causing civilian casualties.
"Israel warned civilians to go to city centers and later shelled the center of Gaza City with a weapon that should never be used in densely populated areas," Garlasco said.
When will we realise that Ghandi was right - "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind" -- it is true that in daoism and dao cultivation self defense is not frowned upon, but i can't help but feel that the way we are going there will be so much self defense going on that the cycles of hatred, anger and killing of innocents has no hope of ending.
I have no answers but i hope we can all feel empathy for ALL the victims of these conflicts.
Chapter 43
The softest things of the world
Override the hardest things of the world
That which has no substance
Enters into that which has no openings
From this I know the benefits of unattached actions
The teaching without words
The benefits of actions without attachment
Are rarely matched in the world
peace to you
beccaxx
WIDGETIZE
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